Now in its 14th year, the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt National Design Awards is continuing its legacy to recognize outstanding achievement across a variety of disciplines in the design community. The awards were established to “promote design as a vital humanistic tool in shaping the world”. This year the recipients will be honored at a gala in October during National Design Week in New York City. The goal of recognizing this achievements is to reinforce the idea that “everything around us is designed” and the potential for innovation and creation is present across all types of development. The winners of this year’s design awards were selected based on excellence, innovation and public impact.

James Wines is the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award. Wines is the founder and president of SITE, multidisciplinary studio based in New York City that develops site-specific structures that utilize information about the surrounding environment. The work includes buildings, public space, environmental art, landscapes, master plans, interiors, video productions, graphics and product designs, all of which use the context to determine the design. With projects numbering over 150 in 11 countries, Wines’ and SITE’s work has been highly influential in the design community.

Michael Sorkin is honored with the Design Mind Award for his work in architecture at his practice, Michael Sorkin Studio; for his work in architectural and urban critique for Architectural Record and as professor at the City College of New York; and as an urbanist for his work with the non-profit organization Terreform which is dedicated to research and intervention of urban morphology.

The popular non-profit organization that produces lectures covering issues of technology, entertainment and design – TED – is awarded the Corporate and InstitutionalAchievement. The talks cover a wide range of disciplines and have grown exponentially in popularity since its beginnings in 1984. To promote local outreach, TED has also developed the TEDx talks which allows individuals to independently organize events in their communities.

Solar Carve Tower / Studio Gang Architects

The Architecture Design Award is going to Studio Gang Architects, a Chicago-based collective that uses design to connect with and respond to contemporary issues. Each project addresses the individual cultural and environmental concerns of the site, using specific strategies to deal with global issues of urbanization, climate and sustainability. The projects cover a range of scale and scope, from individual building towers to infrastructure and public space.

Queens Metropolitan Campus branding / Paula Scher

Graphic Designer PaulaScher is recognized for the Communication Design for her work with “iconic, smart and accessible images”. Her work uses typography to develop images that have meaning and evoke feeling. Her work is highly recognizable and has been used for environmental graphics, packing, publications and branding systems.

Fashion Designer Behnaz Sarafpour is being recognized for her work in elegant and innovative textiles. Her collection blends high design with affordability, while consciously choosing organically produced materials for her designs.

Media design firm, Local Projects, is being recognized for InteractionDesign. The firm specializes in work for museums and public spaces and has been creating work for the 9/11 Memorial Museum. It is being awarded for its use of physical space and interactive design to create collaborative storytelling projects.

Courtyard Residence / Aidlin Darling Design via Cooper-Hewitt

Aidlin Darling Design is the recipient of the InteriorDesign award for the studios interest in designing spaces for all five sense. The studio functions as a hub for collaborators of many disciplines, including builders, fabricators, artists, engineers, and chefs.

MargieRuddick work is being recognized for the LandscapeArchitecture award for her pioneering approach in incorporating ecology into the urban landscape. Ruddick is also an author and professor whose work has gained international acclaim and is likely an inspiration in today’s desire to design environmentally conscious sites in modern cities.

NewDealDesign is honored with the Product Design award. The multidisciplinary firm collaborates with industrial, graphic and interaction designers to create innovative products “dedicated to helping people live better everyday”.